Car-underframe.



CLARENCE H. HOWARD, OF ST. LOIS, MISSOURI.

CAR-UNDERFRAME Specification of Letters Patent. Application fried November 25, 1907. sesame/103,782.

Patented March 10, 1908.

T 0 all whom'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE H. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, in the State of Missouri,vhave in;

vented a new and useful Improvementin OarfUnderframea'of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to the end ortion of a car underframe, and has for its 0 ject to provide a strong and rigid brace theret between' the dead-block of the end sill and the adjacent body-bolster.

It consists in features of novelty as hereinafter described. and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specificati on, whereon,

Figure is a side elevation of my improved brace as a plied to the end, and middle longitudinal si ls of a car underframe between the dead-block and, the adjacent body-bolster (seen in vertical transverse section on line 1, .l inFig. 2) Fig. 2, a top planview thereof, omitting the sills on oneside of the longitudinal center of the underframe; Fig. 3, a front view of the dead-block Xed to the end sill g Fig. 4 'a vertical transverse section through the middle longitudinal sills on line 4, 4, in Fig. 1, showing the brace in end view, and the corresponding part of the body-bolster in side elevation, and Fig. 5, a vertical transverse section through the brace and middle longitudinal sills on line 5, 5, in Fig. 1.

Like letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in allthe gures. 1

L represents the middle portion of the end sill, and b the corresponding abutting end portions of the middle longitudinal sills of a car underframe. To the underside ofv the middle longitudinal sills b, adjacent to the end sill 0 is fixe-d in the usual manner the body-bolster c which is preferably composed of cast steel and esha ed in cross section, having a vertical mem er 1, and a top and bottom member 2, 2', respectively, the bolster c in the present case being preferably adapted to form a housing for the springs of a suital `le draftgear,such as that described in the Letters Patent of the United States granted to Harry M. Pfleger, January 23, 1906, Nunber 810,805, for improvement in draftgea for railroad cars. Or the body-bolster may be otherwise shaped and adapted to the purpose of my invention according to the deslg 1 and constructional details of the un.- derfrz me to which the device is ap lied.

d is the dead-block, which in t e present case is separately constructed and fixed to the fron-t side of the end sill aat its middle portion opposite to the abutting ends of the middle' longitudinalsills by bolts 3, or otherwise, and by the-middle -truss-rods 4 (indicated by dotted lines) in the usual manner. The dead-block d is preferably composed of cast steel and may be of any suitable design, such as that shown, and to the underside thereof.. is fixed the carry-iron 5 for the draw-bar 6 (as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3), the longitudinal center line se, of

the draw-bar 6 being alined to the center plane of the cylindrical housings 7 formedin eachv side of the body-bolster c forthe springs of the draft-gear (not shown) before named.

Projecting from the rear'side of, and preferably integral with the deadfblock d, is a horizontally disposed arm or braced which is sdapted to bear-at the top against the underside of the end sill a, and middle longitudine-1l sills b between the end sill a and the body-bolster-c, the free end S of the arm d butting against the front edge of the top member 2 (or side es the case may be) of the body-bolster c. The arm d', for a suitable distance from its end S, projects horizontally beyond the outermost side of each longitudinal sill b and is formed thereat adjacent to the end 8 with a longitudinal extension d2 which is directed upward, over, .and across the top member 2 of the body-bolster c to which it is preferably ixed by rivets 9j (or otherwise),. the free end of each extension d2 having preferably, a depending lip or flange 10 which overlaps and engages the rear edge of the member 2 as shown and thereby cooperates with the, butting end 8 against the front edge of the member 2, to interlockthe arm d with the body-bolster c, and at the same time relieve the rivets 9 from shear stress.'

The arm or brace d in the present case consists preferably of a plate 11 having a lightening hole (or holes) 12 therethrough between the sills b, and having outer longitudinal depending flanges or ribs 13, and from the plate 11 between the longitudinal sills b, preferably projects a bracket 14 which is adapted to bear against the inner dead-block integral therewith, the arm or brace d', in lieu of being Aintegral with ,the

dead-block, may be of separate construction, and riveted or otherwise fixed thereto. Moreover, it' desired, in lieu of a single arm or brace d extending beneath and between the middle longitudinal sills as described, an

arm. projecting from the dead-block and' adapted to interloclwith the body-bolster,

and means for fixing thev arm to the said' bolster, substantially as described.

i2. ln a car underframe, the combin'ation with the end sill and abutting portions of the longitudinal sills, of'a body-.bolster fixed to the longitudinal sillsadjacent to th end sill,

a dead-block projecting from the end sill, an

arm projecting from the dead-block, the said arin being adapted to interlock with the body-bolster and to bear against the end,

fand middle, longitudinal sills, andmeans for v 1 l, sills, substantially as described;

fixing Ithe arm to the said., end and middle 3. ln a car underframe, the combination with the end sill and abutting portionsjof the longitudinal, sills, of a body-bolster fixed to the longitudinal-- sills adjacent to the end sill, a dead-block projecting from the end sill, van arm projecting from the dead-block and integral therewith, the said arm being adapted to interlock with the body-bolster and to bear against the end, and middle, longitudinal sills, and means for fixing the arm to the said middle sills, substantially as described. j

4. In a car underframe, the` combination with the end sill and abutting'portions of the longitudinal sills, of a body-bolster fixed to the longitudinal'sills adjacent to the end sill, a dead-block projecting from the end sill, an arm projecting from the deadsblock, the said arm being adapted to interlock vsith the body-bolster and to bear against the end, and middle, longitudinal sills, and means for fixing the arm to the said endsill, vmiddle sills, and body-bolster, substantially` as de@ scribed.

Inl testimon)T whereof I have 'signed my name to this specification 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

` CLARENCE H. HOWARD. Witnesses:

H. C. BELLVILLE, EDWARD W. FURRELL. 

